Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 Registered Heritage Structure

Bonavista, NL

Registered Heritage Structure

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Description

Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9, a Gothic inspired building constructed in 1875, is located in Bonavista, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Statement of Significance

Formal Recognition Type

Registered Heritage Structure

Heritage Value

Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1994 because of its historic, cultural and aesthetic value. Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 has historic value because of its association with the Society of United Fishermen in the region. In 1862 Rev. George Gardner, a Church of England minister, formed a support group called Heart’s Content Fisherman’s Society. The society later began to expand its membership into other outports and became known as the Society of United Fishermen (SUF). The fraternal organization provided fellowship and established a mutual support system for its members at a time when few services were available to fishermen and their families. Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 in Bonavista was constructed in 1875, a year after the organisation established itself in the community, and continues to be a gathering place for the SUF. Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 has cultural value considering the use of SUF symbolism on its exterior. A triangle surrounding a Maltese Cross was chosen as the symbol of the SUF. The triangle represents Newfoundland’s approximate shape, with Cape Bauld, Cape Race and Cape Ray being the points of the triangle. The Maltese Cross represents the eight Beatitudes that members are taught to learn and observe. The mass of the building establishes its place in community life and speaks to a tradition of institutional use of the structure. Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 has aesthetic value as it is a good example of an early fraternal gathering hall in an outport context. Unique design elements on the exterior of the building permit creativity in an otherwise formal, uniform structure. Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “Bonavista – Society of United Fishermen Lodge #9 – FPT 176”

Character Defining Elements

All those architectural features which speak to the design, age, construction and use of the building as an outport Newfoundland fraternal hall, including: -steep gable roof; -number of storeys; -corner boards; -decorative use of clapboard on the bias; -narrow clapboard; -triangular window with Maltese cross motif; -pointed arch windows; -window size, style, trim and placement; -size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors; -stone pile foundation; -dimension, location and orientation of building.